COLUMN: Bobcats' turnaround actually began a month before training camp

By Richard Walker

Published: Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 11:26 AM.

CHARLOTTE – When the Charlotte Bobcats held their media day on the eve of their first official training camp practice in late September, virtually all of them had been working on improvement for nearly a month.

You see, not only had the offseason free agent signing of veteran Al Jefferson given his new teammates reason for optimism, it led to voluntary workouts that many feel are the reason this team unexpectedly made the postseason.

“We just wanted to come in and get used to each other and get used to the coaching staff,” said point guard Kemba Walker, who had lived through 7-win and 21-win seasons in his first two seasons with the Bobcats. “We wanted to try and learn things earlier and it’s really benefitted us. Guys coming in earlier showed what kind of character we had and what kind of team we had.”

Facing the two-time defending NBA champion Miami on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in the first game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series confirms those preseason workouts have paid off.

For Jefferson, it’s also confirmed the reputation he’s gained around the league as a player that worked hard, helped others and was about winning more than his own personal goals.

That’s even as Jefferson’s 21.8 scoring average has led the Bobcats this season and led the team to organize a promotional campaign to help him earn All-NBA honors.

It’s not been a coincidence that when rival teams come to Charlotte this season, Jefferson’s former coaches like Doc Rivers and Kevin McHale have lavished praise on the 6-foot-10, 289-pound center known for his crafty and creative post moves.

And it’s meant an awful lot to Jefferson, who despite being only 29 years old is a nine-year NBA veteran.

“It feels good that guys that I respect in this league, you know, old coaches and old teammates, say good things that about me,” Jefferson said.

And, if anything, Jefferson used what many perceived as a slight when he wasn’t named to the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, as a motivator for the Bobcats’ fast finish; Charlotte enters the playoffs having gone 20-9 since the All-Star break.

“That’s why it doesn’t bother me as much when I don’t get the national recognition as far as making the All-Star game,” Jefferson said. “Because the people who know the game and the people I respect have shown that they respect me. To me, that means more.”

Jefferson and veteran NBA coach Steve Clifford, who got his first head coaching job this season with the Bobcats after 13 seasons as an assistant in the league, have frequently talked about developing a “culture of winning” ever since they were signed and hired, respectively, last summer.

It’s something Gerald Henderson, Jr., alluded to at that late September media day. Henderson, the only player left from the 2010 playoff team, said that while the franchise had been losing, the team wasn’t made up of “losers.”

Walker knew that as well as anybody. A first-round pick in 2011 a few months after leading Connecticut to the NCAA title, Walker’s rookie year was the dubious 7-59 season in which the Bobcats .106 winning percentage was the lowest in NBA history.

“Just like Gerald said, even though we were losing, we weren’t losers,” Walker said. “We have a bunch of winners on our team, guys who have won before. The culture around here has changed. It just shows what a bunch of guys with great character can do. Now we’re just trying to take advantage of this opportunity.”

And what better opportunity that a shot at the two-time defending NBA champions.

You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22

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CHARLOTTE – When the Charlotte Bobcats held their media day on the eve of their first official training camp practice in late September, virtually all of them had been working on improvement for nearly a month.

You see, not only had the offseason free agent signing of veteran Al Jefferson given his new teammates reason for optimism, it led to voluntary workouts that many feel are the reason this team unexpectedly made the postseason.

“We just wanted to come in and get used to each other and get used to the coaching staff,” said point guard Kemba Walker, who had lived through 7-win and 21-win seasons in his first two seasons with the Bobcats. “We wanted to try and learn things earlier and it’s really benefitted us. Guys coming in earlier showed what kind of character we had and what kind of team we had.”

Facing the two-time defending NBA champion Miami on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in the first game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series confirms those preseason workouts have paid off.

For Jefferson, it’s also confirmed the reputation he’s gained around the league as a player that worked hard, helped others and was about winning more than his own personal goals.

That’s even as Jefferson’s 21.8 scoring average has led the Bobcats this season and led the team to organize a promotional campaign to help him earn All-NBA honors.

It’s not been a coincidence that when rival teams come to Charlotte this season, Jefferson’s former coaches like Doc Rivers and Kevin McHale have lavished praise on the 6-foot-10, 289-pound center known for his crafty and creative post moves.

And it’s meant an awful lot to Jefferson, who despite being only 29 years old is a nine-year NBA veteran.

“It feels good that guys that I respect in this league, you know, old coaches and old teammates, say good things that about me,” Jefferson said.

And, if anything, Jefferson used what many perceived as a slight when he wasn’t named to the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, as a motivator for the Bobcats’ fast finish; Charlotte enters the playoffs having gone 20-9 since the All-Star break.

“That’s why it doesn’t bother me as much when I don’t get the national recognition as far as making the All-Star game,” Jefferson said. “Because the people who know the game and the people I respect have shown that they respect me. To me, that means more.”

Jefferson and veteran NBA coach Steve Clifford, who got his first head coaching job this season with the Bobcats after 13 seasons as an assistant in the league, have frequently talked about developing a “culture of winning” ever since they were signed and hired, respectively, last summer.

It’s something Gerald Henderson, Jr., alluded to at that late September media day. Henderson, the only player left from the 2010 playoff team, said that while the franchise had been losing, the team wasn’t made up of “losers.”

Walker knew that as well as anybody. A first-round pick in 2011 a few months after leading Connecticut to the NCAA title, Walker’s rookie year was the dubious 7-59 season in which the Bobcats .106 winning percentage was the lowest in NBA history.

“Just like Gerald said, even though we were losing, we weren’t losers,” Walker said. “We have a bunch of winners on our team, guys who have won before. The culture around here has changed. It just shows what a bunch of guys with great character can do. Now we’re just trying to take advantage of this opportunity.”

And what better opportunity that a shot at the two-time defending NBA champions.

You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22